A new communication device (the “client”) may be added to a network of multiple devices coupled to a shared communication medium, and it may be desirable to associate the client with another device (the “service agent”) coupled to the medium for the purpose of establishing a communication link or conducting some other transaction. Since the medium is shared, the client may be able to communicate with multiple other devices, including multiple service agents. A cellular communication system uses certain techniques to determine the base station (the service agent) with which a mobile device (the client) associates. For example, in some techniques base stations periodically transmit standard signals that can be used by mobile devices to measure the signal characteristics between the mobile device and the base station. When the mobile device is active, it constantly monitors the signal characteristics of signals transmitted from different base stations, including the one with which it is currently associated). If it determines that the signal characteristics of another base station are better, then the mobile device initiates a handoff mechanism to be associated with the other base station. In the case of cellular communication systems, associating with the best or correct base station is not critical to the proper operation of the cellular communication system. Associating with an inferior base station just reduces the quality of the phone call.